Not So Casual Encounter
by Stay-with-me-erik
Summary: An alternate version of the night preceding the beach/Divorce scene; a moment between friends becomes slightly more than that. Cherik. Rated K .


**A/N: This takes place during the movie the night before the beach/Divorce scene as could-have-been moment; like Erik would have gone to bed and Raven wouldn't have been there, and Charles wouldn't have gone down to the kitchen and so on. Which kinda makes the Divorce scene even sadder if this had happened, but whatevs.**

**One more thing: THIS IS MY FIRST FANFIC EVER, WRITTEN ENTIRELY BY ME!**

**...But of course my sister Beta'd it for errors, but it's not like she changed or wrote anything else. This is all me.**

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><p>It was getting late as Charles sat at his desk and debated on whether or not to visit Hank in his lab when he heard a knock at his door. "Come in," Charles said. He heard the door open, looked up, and Erik stood in the doorway. "My friend, what brings you here?" he asked.<p>

"I've been thinking, Charles, do you really think they're ready?" Erik wondered as he moved across the room and leaned against Charles' desk. He picked up a metal paperweight, and mindlessly rotated it above his hand as he waited for a reply.

"Truthfully, I believe they are," Charles began as he took the paperweight from Erik and set it down, so they could focus. "_All _of us have been training. Alex and Sean can now successfully control their powers, Raven seems to be more confident, Hank has helped us immensely with his science, and you, my friend, have come closer to finding the true power within yourself." Charles finished.

"Yes, that may be true, but what if it's not enough? We don't know what Shaw's next move is," Erik said as he sat in the chair across from Charles' desk.

"Erik, you know Shaw better than I do; why don't you tell me?" Charles responded.

A flicker of pain swept over Erik's facial features as he spoke, "Never mind, I was over thinking it." He stood and walked towards the door.

"Erik, wait," Charles said as he stood up from his chair, "You know what I meant."

"Enlighten me." Erik stated.

"I know your past, I was just…." Charles began.

"Charles, you may think you know my past, but you have no idea what happened between Shaw and I." Erik said.

"I'm sorry, Erik, you're right; I don't know. Why don't you tell me about it, then?" Charles asked.

"I don't want to talk; I want to _act_," Erik fumed.

"You want to kill Shaw, don't you?" Charles asked, but by the look on Erik's face alone, Charles knew the answer. They both stood and studied each other to see who would speak first. "Will you sit down with me for a moment?" Charles suggested suddenly as he gestured towards their usual chess seating.

Erik nodded and moved towards his chair.

"Would you care for a drink?"

Erik looked at Charles quizzically, and then nodded again; after all, Charles knew what he drank.

Charles returned a few moments later, drinks in hand. He handed Erik his martini, holding his scotch in his other hand while he sat down across from the fuming man. They both took a drink of their beverage slowly, and then Charles spoke, "Now tell me, my friend, what makes it so vital that you kill Shaw?"

Erik looked at Charles for a moment before challenging his question, "Why is it _vital_ for you to know? – And if you do want to know so badly, you could always read my mind."

"I want to hear it from you, not your conscious," Charles responded.

Erik stared at Charles and wondered if he should be truthful, and confess the reason why it was so important. After a few moments of thought, Erik decided Charles could know; he was his friend, after all. "The reason it's so important is because Shaw took away my mother, the dearest thing in the world to me." Erik took hold of his drink, and looked down so he wouldn't see Charles.

Charles sighed. He knew how much it pained Erik to share his feelings, yet he now realized how much that memory he unlocked earlier that day meant to Erik. "My dear friend," Charles began, and then stopped. He cared deeply for him, and hated the fact that he was the one to bring up his pain. Charles stood, walked over and rested his hand on Erik's shoulder.

Erik looked up, confused, and then his features softened. Erik stood, Charles' hand still residing on his shoulder. "I'm usually not that deep, you know," he said with a pitiful laugh. He saw Charles smile briefly. He didn't get why he was so comfortable around him. They had only known each other shortly, but like Charles said, he knew everything about him, in a matter of speaking. Erik took a step forward, closing some distance in between them, bringing his face closer to Charles'.

Charles looked at Erik, and removed his hand from his friend's shoulder. Charles did care for Erik, but as for the last few days and tonight, what if his feelings for the man in front of him were more than caring? He pondered the thought, and wondered if Erik may feel the same way.

The silence had lasted long enough between them. "Don't be afraid to share your feelings… especially with me," Charles hinted at the end.

Erik smiled at Charles, "You asked for an explanation. I don't need a therapist."

Charles laughed softly. "Yes, yes; of course."

Erik loved to see Charles' smile; his lips were perfectly shaped. Erik was slightly startled by the thought; why was he thinking of his _friend's_ lips?

Their faces slowly got closer and closer, and before Erik could stop himself, he kissed Charles.

Charles was confused and startled at first, but he quickly forgot those feelings when he kissed Erik back, more passionately this time. When their lips parted, Charles laughed and looked around the room, and the thought that someone saw lingered in his mind. He was glad he was the only telepath in the house.

Erik was glad that Charles had returned the kiss, yet he couldn't understand why the odd kiss had taken place. Erik thought it would be best if he took his leave. "Goodnight Charles."

Charles cleared his throat. "Yes; goodnight, Erik."

Erik passed Charles and walked out of the room. While he headed down the hallway to his room, he couldn't help but smile at the thought of what happened moments before.

Shortly after Erik left, Charles sat back down at his desk, and took a drink of his scotch. Charles thought of what just happened, and he answered the question he had asked himself earlier: he did not just care for Erik; he _loved _him.

Charles quickly searched the house for Erik's mind, and was pleased that he found the same emotions.


End file.
